In particular day parking off of the 89 around Luther Pass & off of the 88 at Silver Lake, before the snow is gone.

I do know that there are numerous locations where parking isn't allowed on the way up to Carson Pass due to "avalanche concerns" (even if it's almost totally bare I'm sure you'd get a ticket for trying it), & the parking lots that are around there require the ridiculous 'SnoPark' BS; conversely, driving up the 4 around Bear Valley over the weekend, there were cars parked in almost every pullout, for what seemed to be a variety of reasons, & it seemed like there were no restrictions.

Trying to get a feel for what The Man allows, & what will get me a parking ticket (right or not).

Hey Diggler - Sorry, I can't answer your question, but if you have a sec, you could probably answer mine. I'm thinking of heading up to the Bear Valley area this coming weekend, my first visit to that location, and am wondering about parking/road conditions up there.

I'm planning to spend Fri/Sat nights backcountry camping and wandering around the Mt. Reba area. Where would be the best place to leave a car and hit the snow? I gather there is a Sno-Park near Lake Alpine and also parking along the road up to the ski area. Where might you recommend?

Unless there is new snow, think I'll need to put on tire chains? I'll be in a rental car so I'd like to avoid that, if I can.

QITNL wrote:Hey Diggler - Sorry, I can't answer your question, but if you have a sec, you could probably answer mine. I'm thinking of heading up to the Bear Valley area this coming weekend, my first visit to that location, and am wondering about parking/road conditions up there.

I'm planning to spend Fri/Sat nights backcountry camping and wandering around the Mt. Reba area. Where would be the best place to leave a car and hit the snow? I gather there is a Sno-Park near Lake Alpine and also parking along the road up to the ski area. Where might you recommend?

Unless there is new snow, think I'll need to put on tire chains? I'll be in a rental car so I'd like to avoid that, if I can.

Sorry for a mini-threadjack but here's a bump for you, man!

Don't know where Mt. Reba is, but there are tons of pullouts that seemingly everyone & their brothers use for access- as long as there are no signs indicating otherwise & there's room, I'd say you're fine. Road conditions were fine- there's not even any snow until above 5,000ft. Have fun!

Dingus Milktoast wrote:I commonly hitchhike from parked car to trailhead, along hwy 88, in winter. With the Kirkwood traffic, you might be able to, for example, thumb a ride from Silver Lake to Carson Spur, or get a ride with a bunch of hot snowboarding girls on their way to the 'weed.

There are multiple pull-outs on 89 near Luther Pass that can be used for parking. I've parked at several of them overnight and have never had a problem. I've even chatted with a sheriff who was also stopped at one while I was parking, so I'm pretty sure it was legit.

QITNL wrote:I'm planning to spend Fri/Sat nights backcountry camping and wandering around the Mt. Reba area. Where would be the best place to leave a car and hit the snow? I gather there is a Sno-Park near Lake Alpine and also parking along the road up to the ski area. Where might you recommend?

Unless there is new snow, think I'll need to put on tire chains? I'll be in a rental car so I'd like to avoid that, if I can.

The cheap place to park is the Bear Valley parking lot. Use the lower one where they park the buses, as it's closest to Mt. Reba. Your only other option is the Sno-Park at $5/day and they definitely check for passes there. I don't recall any parking allowed alongside the highway. The roads should be completely dry at the moment. But there's a 20-30% chance of snow tonight and tomorrow. Always a good idea to carry chains, if you can.

Thanks a lot for the information, guys. I've got a SnoPark pass, so if I need it no big deal. I'll probably just end up parking around Silver Lake & going from there. Don't think I'll have the time (& thus the need) to park at Luther Pass.